Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-07-16
A CHRISTMAS CAKE.

A CHRISTMAS CAKE.
Fifty years ago, our firm made the
Coronation Cake" said Mr.. Gunter, OF
Berkeley Square, contectioner to the Queen,
"and we determined that our Jubilee offer
ing should take this form. This is the
larger and more elegant cake of the two,
and we are much pleased that Her Majesty
has accepted it."
The central feature of the piece is q
mighty crown, guarded by four large lions,
between which are correct portrait medal
lions of the Queen at different epochs of
her life The crown is surmounted by a
temple bearing figures of fame and glory
trumpetlng-the Jubilee, | suppose. This
is surmounted by a series of smaller tenn
Piles crowned by really beautiful Angel OF
Peace, holding aloft the Crown of the En-
pire. The panels of the base bear figures
representing the Continents, and finished
by deep border of roses, shamrocks and
thistles.
The day before the celebration, and
after thousands of people had viewed it,
the cake was moved to Buckingham
Palace, and by the Queens express COM
mands, placed on dais in the grand Pic
ture Gallery. Nothing could show what
a pitch the Jubilee mania had reached
better than the fact that small slabs of
cake. the same in composition, and baked
in the same oven, at the same time az the
Queens, were sold at fabulous prices,
eliminating at five guneas lS25) for q
pound.
The cake itself was of the kind known
in America as fruit cake, term have
never heard used here, where the good old
fashioned name of plum cake" covers
every variety into the composition Of
which raisins enter largely. In this case
it was solidly black with richness, aud the
icing some nine inches deep, massive with
pounded almonds.
The English idea of the contections OF
flour and good things, known ~ cake, diff
fers very widely from the American. The
quality of lightness is missing from it, ~
il is from the bread Except among peo-
pie of large means, who keep a protessed
cook, cake il always bought from the con-
fectioners or pastry cooks. For example
the great cake making firm of London
pride themselves on having their custom
ers entirely among the nobility aud gentry.
The consequence of this is wearisome
monotOny at teas, where day after day you
find the same kinds Of cakesseryed, though
rarely more than two sorts at the same
time. 1t is usually put on uncut, each
visitor helping herself. can hardly i'm
agine what British housewife would think
to sit down to tea in one of the Eastern
States, where the hostess could point with
modest satisfaction to eight or ten varieties,
and all delicacies of her own baking. Hot,
or even warm, cake is, Of course, an un-
known quantity, and have seen it on the
table of fairly well to do people 80 stale
that it crumbled on the way to the mouth
Less spice and less flayoring is used here
in coniections, but n great deal more
citron, or "candied peel" rs it is well
called on this side. Indeed the latter
with few plums, with variations in the
shape of eggs and milk and
fiayoring, are turned out in q
variety of names and shapes, for
cakes are commonly baked in moulds.
Our old friend, Jelly cake, is recognized
here in the sandwich cake, but the layers
are few and thick, and very satisfying the
DtlUR ~ kcHtiai tiLh otpCf StiC vi
glish cake. The national cake is, Of course,
the plum cake, which appears not only
in mighty form, at Xmas, wreathed with
holly, but is brought forth on birthdays,
weddings, christenings and best Of all, on
Twelfth Night, when it becomes All i'm
portant feature in the festivities Of the
evening, containing, rs it does, bean, a
pea and Glove. Whoever finds the + an
in his portion becomes King of the festivi-
ties, the pea the Queen, and the Glove the
knaye of the evening.
found in France that similar custom
exists, and story is told there, TO the
effect that the last Twelfth night observed
in the Tuilleries, with ancient strictness,
Was when Louis XVIlI. was reiguing.
The Duke of Orleans was dreadfully en-
barrassed on finding the bean in his por-
ton, for he was at that time intriguir z
against the throne In some counties Of
England, for the bean, the pea and the
Glove have been substituted a gold
ring, a silver thimble and a sixpeDce.
The first means a wedding the second
spinster and the third bachelorhood or
GOOD luck